The advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment insurance claims was 225,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 216,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report for the week ending in December 24.
The report found that the 4-week moving average was 221,000, a decrease of 250 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised down by 500 from 221,750 to 221,250.
In addition, the DOL stated that the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2% for the week ending December 17, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending December 17 was 1,710,000, an increase of 41,000 from the previous week’s revised level (revised down to 1,669,000 from 1,672,000). The 4-week moving average was 1,679,500, an increase of 25,250 from the previous week’s revised average (revised down to 1,654,250 from 1,657,250).
Unadjusted data:
- The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 271,590 in the week ending December 24, an increase of 23,146 (or 9.3%) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected an increase of 12,974 (or 5.2%) from the previous week. There were 257,870 initial claims in the comparable week in 2021.
- The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.1% during the week ending December 17, unchanged from the prior week.
- The advance unadjusted level of insured unemployment in state programs totaled 1,569,764, a decrease of 24,364 (or -1.5%) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 61,762 (or -3.9%) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.2% and the volume was 1,638,597.
Other key data points:
- The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending December 10 was 1,619,728, an increase of 91,461 from the previous week. There were 2,177,372 weekly claims filed for benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2021.
- No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending December 10.
- Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 607 in the week ending December 17, a decrease of 173 from the prior week. There were 381 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 34 from the preceding week.
- There were 7,068 continued weeks claimed filed by former Federal civilian employees the week ending December 10, an increase of 208 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 4,425, an increase of 277 from the prior week.
- The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending December 10 were in Alaska (2.3), California (2.1), New Jersey (2.1), Puerto Rico (2.0), Minnesota (1.8), Montana (1.8), Rhode Island (1.7), Massachusetts (1.6), New York (1.6), and Washington (1.6).
- The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending December 17 were in Massachusetts (+1,505), New Jersey (+1,258), Missouri (+1,040), Rhode Island (+522), and Pennsylvania (+460), while the largest decreases were in California (-2,268), Ohio (-1,806), Texas (-941), Georgia (-760), and Washington (-704).
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